Referee István Kovács appointed to officiate milestone FIFA World Cup™ match – Tunisia v Japan in Monterrey on 20 June
Mr Kovács presented with a special adidas match shirt featuring gold sleeve stripes and a ‘Match 1000’ patch to mark the occasion
The Romanian has established himself as one of Europe’s foremost referees
FIFA has appointed Romanian referee István Kovács to take charge of the 1,000th match in the history of the FIFA World Cup™ – the Group F encounter between Tunisia and Japan at Monterrey Stadium on 20 June.
Mr Kovács will be assisted by compatriots Ferencz Tunyogi and Mihai Marica, with Costa Ricans Juan Calderón and Juan Carlos Mora serving as fourth official and reserve assistant referee, for one of the landmark fixtures in the tournament’s long and storied history.
FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina said the appointment, while a special honour, was based purely on the regular criteria applied to pick the best official for the game.
“We selected the referee that we think is the best referee for this match. And of course, by coincidence, he is also appointed for the 1,000th match. So, for him, it is something extra – something special on top. Refereeing a FIFA World Cup match is always a huge privilege, it’s a great honour,” said the Italian, himself a former referee who officiated the FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany in 2002 during an illustrious career.
“Certainly, becoming part of the history of football – part of the history of the FIFA World Cup, being appointed to and being on the field of play to officiate the match number 1,000 is definitely something extra. We decided to create a special match kit to celebrate this match and it’s a nice one with some golden details; stripes and a patch with the trophy and the number 1,000 on it,” added Mr Collina.
The special adidas shirt, presented to István Kovács in front of the rest of his Team One colleagues, features gold stripes down the sleeves and a ‘Match 1000’ patch. It will also be worn by assistant referees Tunyogi and Marica at Monterrey Stadium.
The 41-year-old Kovács has established himself as one of Europe’s foremost referees. He was part of the match officials panel at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ where he served as fourth official across eight fixtures. His appointment to Match 1,000 at FIFA World Cup 2026™ marks his first match as a referee at a FIFA World Cup.